Race to the MVP: King James Makes His SurgeBy Kurt Walker, NBA.comPosted Jan 31 2017 09:30PM

Surprisingly, LeBron has been flying somewhat under the radar so far this season, but following another stellar month of consistent winning from Cleveland, this is no longer the case.

Get this, the Cleveland Cavaliers have only lost 4 games in the last two months, and at the center of it all? LeBron James, who has been tearing it up on the defensive end, Averaging just under 3 steals and 2 blocks per game in the 27 game span between December and January while also flirting around with a near triple-double average at the same time.

With the second place team a staggering 10 games behind the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs are all but a lock for the number one seed going into the playoffs, and we are only just about to enter February.

This is what sheer dominance looks like, folks.

And now onto this month’s rankings…

1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (29-19)Stats: PPG -- 26.3; RPG -- 9.5; APG -- 9.7; SPG -- 3.4; BPG -- 0.5; FG% -- .463; 3P% -- .332; FT% -- .801Last Month's Rank: 2Comment: With each passing month, Westbrook is edging closer and close to that triple double average on the season. Just this month alone Westbrook has picked up 7 more triple double performances, topping his league-leading total to 14 for the season, nearly doubling that of the second place LeBron James (8). As a result of his production, the Thunder shot up the standings with a solid 11-5 month and now occupy the 5th spot in the West.

2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (39-10)Stats: PPG -- 28.9; RPG -- 6.0; APG -- 6.4; SPG -- 2.2; BPG -- 0.1; FG% -- .495; 3P% -- .418; FT% -- .914Last Month's Rank: 1Comment: After a red hot month of December, the reigning league MVP is going through a shooting slump, with his shooting percentages falling all the way down to 46% from the field and 35% from deep in January, dropping his season percentage to a career-worst 41.8% from three. However, he has picked up the slack with effort and hustle, picking up 3.2 steals per game on the month and helping the league-leading Warriors to a 12-4 record in January.

3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (37-11)Stats: PPG -- 23.3; RPG -- 8.6; APG -- 8.7; SPG -- 2.3; BPG -- 1.3; FG% -- .487; 3P% -- .328; FT% -- .703Last Month's Rank: 5 Comment: Cleveland is looking nearly unstoppable right now, with multiple 30, 40 point blowouts seem commonplace. Their most impressive performance however, came early in the month during their 10 game winning streak (9 straight on the road), in which they absolutely destroyed the Hawks in Atlanta with a winning margin of 75 points (147-72), with LeBron James scoring a season high 40 points along with 14 rebounds, 12 assists, and 5 steals. With career high averages in both steals and blocks, LeBron looks to be making a run for both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year credentials this season.

4. James Harden, Houston Rockets (31-17)Stats: PPG -- 27.5; RPG -- 6.5; APG -- 6.5; SPG -- 1.8; BPG -- 0.9; FG% -- .474; 3P% -- .451; FT% -- .864Last Month's Rank: 4 Comment: Another good month at 10-5 for Harden and the Rockets, and the Beard has thrived as a point guard in Mike D’Antoni’s system, consistently producing the goods for the Rockets, with the only outlier being a career high 58 point outburst against the Pelicans. Something tells me Houston will take those oddities in Harden’s production any day of the week.

5. DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers (32-17)Stats: PPG -- 14.7; RPG -- 15.1; APG -- 0.6; SPG -- 0.1; BPG -- 3.0; FG% -- .671; 3P% -- .000; FT% -- .392Last Month's Rank: 3 Comment: Chris Paul is having a down year, Griffin is still inconsistent coming off an injury, Paul Pierce is just old now but somehow the Clippers just keep winning, and it’s all thanks to the consistent defensive presence of DeAndre Jordan. The league leader in both blocks and rebounds, Jordan is the early favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year honors, with the only close competitor for the award being LeBron James.

6. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers (37-11Stats: PPG -- 27.1; RPG -- 3.7; APG -- 7.9; SPG -- 1.7; BPG -- 0.8; FG% -- .491; 3P% -- .461; FT% -- .924Last Month's Rank: N/A Comment: If LeBron is the foundation of Cleveland’s success, Irving is the spark that takes them to the next level. Irving is playing through an injury (pinched nerve) right now, but somehow was able to average just under 30 points per game this past month while maintaining his efficiency from the field, and is now averaging career highs in all five major statistical categories as well as in shooting percentages on the season. In fact, if LeBron wasn’t his teammate, Irving would be a lot higher up on this list right now.

7. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (29-18)Stats: PPG -- 23.3; RPG -- 7.0; APG -- 3.2; SPG -- 2.5; BPG -- 0.8; FG% -- .513; 3P% -- .472; FT% -- .914Last Month’s Rank: 6Comment: Leonard’s production has fallen off just a tad this past month, with his shooting percentage from the field dipping below 48% (for the month) for the first time this season. However, he is still shooting at a ridiculous clip of just under 48% from deep, including going 8/10 from deep in his career high 38 point performance against the Chicago Bulls to cap off the month.

8. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics (26-22)Stats: PPG -- 25.9; RPG -- 3.6; APG -- 6.6; SPG -- 1.3; BPG -- 0.1; FG% -- .452; 3P% -- .408; FT% -- .850Last Month's Rank: 10Comment: The only knock on Thomas’ case for MVP considerations was that the Celtics were not even sniffing at .500 prior to this month, and that aspect has been shattered after a fantastic month of winning from Boston, as the Cs went 11-3 for the month to propel themselves, not only to a record of over .500, but in fourth place in the Eastern Conference Standings, with the diminutive point guard leading the way at just under 28 points and 7.5 assists in that span.

9. Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers (29-21)Stats: PPG -- 23.8; RPG -- 3.7; APG -- 8.5; SPG -- 1.4; BPG -- 0.3; FG% -- .454; 3P% -- .422; FT% -- .879Last Month’s Rank: N/AComment: It does seem like McCollum and Lillard are taking turns filling this spot, doesn’t it? The Portland duo seems to be the perfect complement to each other, as one always picks up the slack when the other is not playing as well. This month in particular, it is McCollum who has slipped and Lillard responded beautifully, putting up 26.8 points and 7.9 assists on 46% shooting from both the field and from deep to maintain the Blazers in the midst of the Western Conference playoff picture.

10. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors (39-10)Stats: PPG -- 23.3; RPG -- 8.0; APG -- 4.8; SPG -- 1.3; BPG -- 1.6; FG% -- .512; 3P% -- .448; FT% -- .871Last Month's Rank: N/AComment: It seemed for a while that this was never going to work out well for Durant, who has looked awkward in the Golden State offense since joining them in the summer as he spotted his lowest scoring averages since his rookie season. However, it seems to be working a lot better now, with the former MVP having a breakout month with 26 points, 7.6 rebounds and just under 5 assists, shooting at a blistering clip of 54-50-90 in the 16 game span.

Last edited by Valor on Thu Jul 06, 2017 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Patty Mills is out indefinitely after suffering from a high ankle sprain.

The injury, which is the same one on his left ankle that kept him out of 27 of the team’s 52 games thus far, occurred in the third quarter of the Sharks’ 86-102 defeat at the hands of the Seattle SuperSonics. Mills was helped off the floor after landing awkwardly following a missed layup, and did not return. X-Rays were negative but Chicago’s medical staff are said to be concerned as this is the second serious injury on Mills’ left ankle this season.

“Patty sprained his ankle; that's all I know," David Blatt said. "I was told that it would be at least a couple of weeks before they can make another assessment on his timeline, so he’s out indefinitely right now.”

In 25 games played this season, Mills has averaged 10.6 points and 4.8 assists in 25 minutes per game.

NEW YORK -- LeBron James (2,908,746) of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Russell Westbrook (2,803,903) of the Oklahoma City Thunder headline the list of 10 All Star starters selected by fans for the 2017 NBA All Star Game. James and Westbrook finished as the top vote getters in their conference.

In the Western Conference, Westbrook is joined in the backcourt by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (2,673,787), while the frontcourt features Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (2,393,053), San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2,147,812), and Los Angeles Clipper forward Blake Griffin (1,829,566).

Eastern Conference StartersCarmelo Anthony, Knicks: A 10 time All Star, Anthony is averaging 20.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game for the Knicks. This would be Anthony’s 9th selection as a starter.

Paul George, Pacers: George is averaging 23.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game so far this season, and is rewarded with his fourth All Star appearance and his third as a starter.

Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers: If not for his teammate LeBron James, Irving would be squarely in the MVP conversation right now, as his 27.3 points and 7.9 assists averages have been a massive factor in the Cavs running away with the Eastern Conference. This marks the fourth time in six seasons Irving has been selected to the All Star game.

LeBron James, Cavaliers: The top overall vote getter and the leading scorer in All Star Game history (291 points), James has earned his 13th All-Star nod (all consecutive and all starts) in 14 seasons. The four-time Kia NBA MVP is set to become the fifth player in league history to start at least 13 All-Star Games, joining Kobe Bryant (15), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13), Bob Cousy (13) and Michael Jordan (13).

John Wall, Wizards: An All-Star for the fourth straight year, the former number one overall pick is averaging 18.8 points, 9.0 assists, and an impressive career high 3.1 steals per game this season.

Western Conference StartersStephen Curry, Warriors: Leading the league at 28.6 points per game this season, the two-time reigning Kia NBA MVP has made the All-Star team for the fourth consecutive time and the fourth time overall, all as a starter.

Kevin Durant, Warriors: Moving to a new team doesn’t seem to have affected his popularity amongst fans, as Durant is now an eight-time All-Star (every season since 2009-10).

Blake Griffin, Clippers: This with make the sixth NBA All-Star selection for the high flying Clipper, who is averaging 21.3 points and 11.4 points per game this season.

Kawhi Leonard, Spurs: The two-time reigning Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year is a starter for the second year in a row after making his All-Star debut last season.

Russell Westbrook, Thunder: The two time NBA All-Star Game MVP and six time All Star has posted a league leading 17 triple-doubles so far this season, and is looking to become the first since Oscar Robertson (1961-62) to average a triple-double for the season.

Four First Time All Stars Headline Reserves For 2017 All Star Game

Official releasePosted Feb 8, 2017 7:49 PM ET

NEW YORK -- First time All-Stars C.J McCollum of the Portland Trailblazers, Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Reggie Jackson of the Detroit Pistons lead the list of 14 players selected by the NBA’s head coaches as reserves for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.

Joining McCollum and Hayward on the Western Conference reserves are McCollum’s Blazers teammate Damian Lillard, James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings, and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers.

In addition to Antetokounmpo and Jackson, the East reserves are Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Dwyane Wade of the Chicago Bulls, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics duo Al Horford and Isaiah Thomas.

As always, arguments will crop up around the players left out. In the Eastern Conference Pistons center Andre Drummond did not get picked despite impressive averages of 19.1 points and 14.2 rebounds per game; while the Cavaliers, who are running away with the Eastern Conference, did not get a third All-Star as Kevin Love (16.9 points, 11.5 rebounds) was omitted, as did Jimmy Butler (19.3 points, 2.6 steals) of the Chicago Bulls, who currently rank second in the conference.

In the Western Conference, the most notable omissions include Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans (23 points, 10.9 rebounds), Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timerwolves (20.4 points, 11.0 rebounds), and the league leader in both rebounds (15.0) and blocks (3.0) in DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Eastern Conference All-Star ReservesGiannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: A first-time All-Star, the 22-year-old is the first Milwaukee player selected to the All-Star Game since Michael Redd during the 2003-04 season.

Chris Bosh, Heat: Making his twelfth All-Star appearance, the Miami Heat big man has fought off health concerns from the past two seasons to average 20.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this season.

Al Horford, Celtics: This makes the third straight All-Star appearance (2015-17) for the new Boston Celtic, and fifth nod overall.

Reggie Jackson, Pistons: The first-time All-Star is third in the league in assists (9.3) while also averaging 18.3 points per game.

Kyle Lowry, Raptors: An All-Star for the third year in a row, Lowry is averaging career highs in both points (21.7) and steals (2.3) so far this season.

Isaiah Thomas, Celtics: The 60th and final pick of the 2011 NBA Draft ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring with a career-high 25.6 points, helping him secure his second All-Star berth in a row.

Dwyane Wade, Bulls: The 13-time All-Star is enjoying a good first season in his hometown of Chicago, where his 18.9 points average is currently propelling the Bulls to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Western Conference All-Star Reserves

DeMarcus Cousins, Kings: Despite swirling trade rumors all season long, the Kings center has produced a solid 20.7 points and 10.3 rebounds en-route to his third consecutive All-Star nod.

Draymond Green, Warriors: An All-Star for the second straight season, the multi-talented Green has been showing off his versatility with averages of 13.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game this season for the league-best Warriors.

James Harden, Rockets: Harden’s five All-Star selections have all come in his five seasons with Houston.

Damian Lillard, Trailblazers: The third time All-Star is averaging a career best 8.5 assists per game to go along with his 24.0 points average.

C.J. McCollum, Trailblazers: The NBA’s Most Improved Player of 2016, McCollum has again elevated his game to the next level by earning his first All-Star selection.

Chris Paul, Clippers: This marks the 10th All-Star selection for Paul, making him one of the 6 active players to have 10 or more selections in their careers.

The East and West All-Star coaches are determined by the best record in the conference. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr and his staff has earned the honor in the West, while the East coach has yet to be determined.

Cleveland’s Tyronn Lue is not eligible to coach the East All-Stars because he did so last year.

NEW YORK -- The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, last season’s unanimous Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, and a record tying number of four participants from the Philadelphia 76ers, including number one overall pick Ben Simmons, highlight the list of 20 players selected by the league’s assistant coaches to play in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 17 during NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans.

Philadelphia’s four participants match the Cleveland Cavaliers’ record in both 2013 and 1998.

Towns, who helped the U.S. Team defeat the World Team 157-154 in last year’s BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, is one of five NBA players averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds this season. The Stars Team also features Knicks Phenom Kristaps Porzingis, who is averaging just under 17 points and 10 rebounds this season, and the Sacramento Kings’ Malachi Richardson, who was a late inclusion after making heads turn in his recent NBA debut (and lone) game, finishing with 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Kings’ 132-86 rout of the Washington Wizards.

Joining Towns, Porzingis, and Richardson on the Stars Team are Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kris Dunn of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dario Saric of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Justise Winslow of the Miami Heat.

The Elites Team is anchored by number one overall pick Ben Simmons, who is the early favourite for the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds (ties for most among rookies), and 4.7 assists per game. Simmons is joined on the team by his Philadelphia teammates in Joel Embiid (10.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Jahlil Okafor (18.8 ppg).

Rounding out the Elites are Bobby Portis of the Chicago Bulls, Boban Marjanovic of the Chicago Sharks, Norman Powell of the Seattle Supersonics, Emmanuel Mudiay of the Denver Nuggets, Brice Johnson of the Los Angeles Clippers, Wade Baldwin of the Memphis Grizzlies, and Buddy Hield of the hosts New Orleans Pelicans.

New Three Point Champion to be Crowned as Thompson will not defend title

Official releasePosted Feb 7, 2017 7:18 PM ET

NEW YORK -- With Defending Champion Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors announcing he will not defend his title, the JBL Three-Point Contest will have a new winner on All Star Saturday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

The six player field features Thompson’s All Star teammates in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, as well as the Houston Rockets’ James Harden, Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers, and the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George.

Each participant ranks in the NBA’s top 15 in three-pointers made this season, including the league leader in Stephen Curry (206) and second place James Harden (198), Damian Lillard rounds out the top five on the list with the fourth most three-pointers made (178).

The players have one minute to shoot as many as the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round.

NEW YORK -- Two time defending Slam Dunk Champion Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves will look to complete the first three-peat in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history on All-Star Saturday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

LaVine will be joined by the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon, last year’s runner-up who was narrowly edged to the title following a dazzling performance that included three consecutive perfect scores of 50. Rounding out the field of four contestants are rookie Marquese Chriss of the Phoenix Suns, and LaVine’s Timberwolves teammate Andrew Wiggins.

Verizon Slam Dunk is a two-round event in which the four participants can perform any dunk they choose without time limits. The players have a maximum of three attempts to complete each dunk in both the first round and the final round. Five judges score every dunk on a scale of 6 to 10, resulting in a high score of 50 and a low score of 30.

All four competitors get two dunks in the first round. The two players with the highest combined score for their two dunks advance to the head-to-head final round. The player with the highest combined score for his two dunks in the final round is crowned the champion.

There weren’t a lot of fireworks at this year’s trade deadline, to say the least. The most noteworthy deal - Tony Allen to the Indiana Pacers - happened two days prior, while none of the big names who were rumoured to be on the block ended up being moved, as everybody seems to have accepted that this year at least, is inevitably going to belong to Cleveland and Golden State - two teams who are running away with their conferences so far - and are preparing for what is undoubtedly going to be an incredibly hectic offseason.

The trades that did go down aren’t likely to affect the balance of power league-wide, but there were some interesting ramifications for the teams that made them. Below you can find all the deals made before the trade deadline in chronological order and some analysis as to why they were completed.

Kings Trade Garrett Temple and Matt Barnes to the Jazz for Jeff Withey and the Pistons’ 2017 second round pick

It looks like the Jazz are still trying to make the playoffs, trading Jeff Withey - who is having his worst season as a pro, averaging just 3.3 ppg in 16 mpg while shooting under .400 for the first time in his career - for Garrett Temple, who will provided some much needed depth at shooting guard and allow Exum and Mack to fill out the minutes at point guard vacated by the injury to George Hill. Matt Barnes should provide some veteran presence in the locker room.

The Kings, who are a mess, gets a second round pick to contribute to their rebuilding efforts and now possess 6 Centers on the roster. Strangely though, they were not able to turn an increasingly publically disgruntled DeMarcus Cousins into some tangible assets.

Big Loser in this trade? Jeff Withey, who goes from fighting for minutes with Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors to fighting for minutes with DeMarcus Cousins and four other centers.

Grade for Jazz: B-Grade for Kings: C Grade for Withey: F

Spurs Trade Davis Bertans to the Knicks for Willy Hernangomez and right to swap for Clippers’ 2018 second round pick

San Antonio has done it again, winning minor deals and turning assets into something more has been the Spurs way the past twenty odd years, and they just keep on doing it. Bertans wasn’t going to get a lot of opportunities with Aldridge and David Lee in front of him, and Pau Gasol needed more backup than just Dewayne Dedmon. Hernangomez has promise and with Popovich there to guide him, he might just reach it.

The Knicks do get back a similarly promising prospect in the sweet shooting Latvian Bertans, but they potentially also gave up a draft pick. Granted, it was a future second rounder, but Hernangomez alone should’ve netted Bertans. Rebuilding teams need every pick they can get, and giving away one cheaply isn’t going to help.

Grade for Spurs: B+Grade for Knicks: C-

Nets trade Justin Hamilton to the Pistons for Reggie Bullock

With starting Center Andre Drummond hobbled with a shin injury, the playoffcontending Pistons look to add to their frontcourt depth with the addition of Justin Hamilton from the Nets. While nothing flashy or outstanding, the 7 foot journeyman should be able to provide just that.

On the flip side of things, the rebuilding Nets free up a little bit of cap space by acquiring an expiring contract in Reggie Bullock at the cost of somebody who they weren’t really using anyways. A win-win deal for both sides.

Grade for Pistons: B+Grade for Nets: B+

Trailblazers Trade Ed Davis and Pat Connaughton to the Knicks for Kyle O’Quinn and Lance Thomas

This is a deal that makes no sense whatsoever for both sides. Neither team gets cap relief, reinforcements, or draft picks. It looks like a deal was made purely to make a deal. Let’s move on.

Grade for Blazers: C+Grade for Knicks: C+

Grizzlies Trade Troy Daniels and Andrew Harrison to the Hornets for Marco Belinelli, the right to swap for Cavaliers’ 2018 second round pick with Brooklyn

What are the Hornets thinking? After already trading for Matthew Delladova earlier in the season, they have now gone and traded for another point guard - and one that has yet to make his NBA debut at that - all the while giving up the best player in the deal plus a potential draft pick.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are sorely missing a solid rotation SG since Tony Allen was taken off their squad in the NBA expansion draft of 2016, and Belinelli is as solid as they go, and at the cost of two players they weren’t playing at all anyways, it is almost a freebie.

Grade for Hornets: D-Grade for Grizzlies: A-

76ers Trade Jerami Grant to the Timberwolves for Nikola Pekovic

Purely a salary dump by the Timberwolves, who have just shed Pekovic’s 10 million per season contract off their books. It makes absolutely no sense from the Sixers point of view, as they now have 4 starting calibre Centers to work with, and no draft picks coming back.

But hey, trust the process…right?

Grade for 76ers: DGrade for Timberwolves: B[/size]

Sharks Trade Tony Allen to the Pacers for Joseph Young and Pacers’ 2017 second round pick.

The expansion Sharks aren’t going anywhere this season, and they have done the defensive specialist a service by sending him to a playoff team for a chance to go for the title. At the age of 35, Allen will value these runs more and more as he edges closer to his eventual retirement. It’s not all charity for Chicago though, with the injury to Patty Mills, Chicago has been short on depth at point guard and they now get a prospect to look at in Joseph Young. An addition draft pick also wouldn’t hurt.

For the Pacers, Allen gives them a stable contributing veteran player that’ll fit right into their rotation. His defensive prowess will be big as they look to strengthen their squad for a playoff push and subsequent playoff run.

NEW ORLEANS -- On a night filled with flashy passes, dunks, and highlight-reel plays, the Elites defeated the Stars, 142-133, to take home the 2017 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge crown at Smoothie King Centre in New Orleans.

Nuggets sophomore guard Emmanuel Mudiay took home MVP honors by totaling a game high 32 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals.

Rookie sensation Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers chipped in 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists, while his fellow Sixers big man duo of Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor each notched a double-double in the winning effort. Sharks sophomore Boban Marjanovic would add to the Elites’ interior dominance with his own double-double performance, along with a game high 4 blocks.

In the losing effort, last year’s unanimous Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves caused havoc with a 21 point, 15 rebound performance, while rookie teammate Kris Dunn added 20 points and 7 assists of his own. Suns sophomore Devin Booker showed off his multidimensional game with 16 point, 5 rebound, 7 asisst, and 3 steals, and Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis did a bit of everything and ended the night with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.

The night though, belonged to Mudiay, who ended the night only having missed 5 shots, finishing 11 of 16 from the field.

“Dunks, tough layups, pull up jumpers, he was hitting everything. It was unreal” said Elites coach Doc Rivers, “Every time he shot the ball it seemed like it was going to go in no matter what”

Friday's event was the perfect appetizer to satisfy NBA fans who are preparing for a thrilling All-Star Weekend. The Rising Stars Challenge helps usher in the next generation of players, and Murray, Porzingis, Towns, Simmons, and Embiid were all well-regarded prospects when they were drafted.

They made sure to show off that potential at the Smoothie King Center this night.

NEW ORLEANS -- Just like the rest of his game, Kawhi Leonard’s performance in the JBL Three-Point Contest can be summed up with one word.

Consistent.

Competing against a field of great shooters in James Harden, Damian Lillard, Isaiah Thomas, Paul George, and of course, former Three-Point Contest champion Stephen Curry, Leonard entered the night with somewhat of an underdog label.

He left the night crowned King of the Three-Point shootout.

After entering the Final round with the second highest score from round 1 (20), Leonard hit the last two money balls on his final rack to edge Curry’s score of 16 by just 1 point, then watched as Paul George faltered down the stretch, ending with just 14 points and ensuing Leonard’s victory.

Three of the first four contestants began the contest by putting up big scores. After Harden began the proceedings with a respectable score of 15, former champion Steph Curry turned the heat on with a 19 point performance. Leonard then topped that with 20 points while Lillard finished with 16.

The star of the first round, however, would be Paul George, who overcame a rough start by drilling all five of his shots in his money ball rack and finishing as the leader of the pack with a score of 21. Isaiah Thomas ended the first round with 18 points, a healthy score but not enough to advance to the championship round.

NEW ORLEANS -- Questionable scoring from judges in a weird new format overshadows what would have been a great Slam Dunk contest.

What should have been Gordon-LaVine 3 turned out to be a slam dunk of a controversy as Andrew Wiggins was crowned Slam Dunk champ on All-Star Saturday, leaving a bitter taste in not only LaVine and Gordon’s mouths, but the audience and dunk fans all around the world, too, thanks to judges who appear to have no idea what they were doing.

Even though it was blatantly obvious to the audience that the back-to-back champion’s double honey dip dunk - where he caught the ball with his left hand after a honey dip, and did a second honey dip with his left hand - was by far the best dunk of the evening, LaVine was only awarded a score of 46, much to the disgust of the crowd in New Orleans. LaVine was then awarded with just a score of 37 (which is what he got also for his first dunk), despite pulling off an impressive self-tossed alley-oop and put it between his legs.

The runner-up for the last two contests, Gordon didn’t fare too well with the judges either, having been only awarded a score of 43 for his tap the backboard self alley-oop slam, and was blatantly robbed with only a score of 37 for his final dunk - a 360 windmill off a self alley-oop.

To be fair, Wiggins did put on a show of his own, pulling off a reverse windmill off a toss with one hand with his first dunk, and reached far back off a lob to slam it with style in the second round. However, his final dunk - a toss off the glass and slam with his left - is not even close to the score of 49 that the judges had given him to take the title.

Taking Gordon and LaVine out of the equation, even rookie Marquese Chriss had much better dunks than Wiggins and deserved the title. Chriss, who ended the contest in second place, having been edged by Wiggins by a score of two points, paid homage to his competitor in Aaron Gordon by mimicking Gordon’s under the legs slam from last year’s contest, only in Chriss’ case, he pulled it off with a 360 spin as well.

“That was amazing, I don’t know if I can pull that off” said Gordon.

Chriss, however, would only receive a 47 for that dunk.

This year’s dunk contest marks a change in the format, with it being three rounds with no elimination occurring, which means all competitors would get the chance to perform three dunks, where scores are accumulated and the highest total after three rounds win. In this instance, it was Wiggins, who finished with a total score of 131, edging out Chriss (129), Gordon (126), and LaVine (120) for the 2017 Slam Dunk title.

“I don’t like it, it takes away the intensity and build up for the final round.” said former Slam Dunk champion Blake Griffin.

Either way, there you have it. The 2017 Slam Dunk King is Andrew Wiggins.

Curry named MVP as West edges East in 66th All-Star GameCurry doing what he does best, beating the third quarter buzzer with a long range bomb

NEW ORLEANS -- Fast paced action, highlight lobs, long range threes, stars being stars, and putting on a show. That’s what the annual NBA All-Star Game is all about.

And in front of a packed house at the Smoothie King center on Sunday night, that is exactly what the 2017 NBA All-Stars did for the fans.

Chris Paul sliced and diced his way around the court, throwing lobs to Blake Griffin all night long; Giannis Antetokounmpo seemingly dunking at will with his ridiculously long arms; Old man Wade turning back the clock and getting up for a spectacular reverse jam; Damian Lillard surprising everybody with his hops; Paul George scoring at will; CJ McCollum barely missing a shot…and of course, Stephen Curry doing what he does best - shooting the heck out of the basketball.

Also, players actually competed. Perhaps taking note of the complaints from the fans about the lack of competitiveness in the past few All-Star games, the players played hard, played with fire and energy, and played to win, and as a result, we had an exciting, back and forth game that wasn’t decided until midway through the fourth quarter.

And so it was a win-win-win: For the league, which scrambled last summer to find a replacement city for Charlotte and landed in sure hands. For New Orleans, which smoothly pulled off the NBA’s showpiece event with Mardi Gras happening at the same time. And for the West, who finally outlasted the East and pulled away midway in the fourth quarter, and took home the 164-144 victory at the Smoothie King Center.

It wasn’t his best shooting night to start with, but Stephen Curry hit his shots when it counted most - in the second half - and ended with a game high 34 points along with 6 assists and 3 steals to win MVP honours. Curry finished the game hitting 13 of 25 from the field and 8 of 17 from three, including a deep three to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter.

“I didn’t think too much [of the misses], I had fun out there and the shots ended up hitting in the end” said Curry

Curry’s Golden State teammate Kevin Durant ended with 22 points, and Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard aided the cause with an all-rounded performance of 15 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals, while Clipper duo Chris Paul (14 points, 7 assists) and Blake Griffin (17 points, 12 rebounds) lived up to their “Lob City” moniker, linking up for dunks all night long as they kept the crowd fired up and the West in the game until Curry took over in the second half.

For the Eastern Conference All-Stars, Pacers forward Paul George led the way with 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, and looked to be the favourite for MVP honours had the East managed to come away with the victory. Bucks sensation Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo made his presence felt in his All-Star debut, serving up an array of unbelievable jams en-route to 21 points. Perhaps the most surprising performance though, was from Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, who had to play most of his minutes at the Center position due to the backcourt-frontcourt voting structure, and more than held his own as he finished with 15 points and an impressive 15 rebounds in the losing effort. Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving added 18 points, while teammate LeBron James finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.

A late addition to the East All-Stars roster is Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver had to quickly scramble to name a replacement (and have the jersey made) after Boston Celtics All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas suffered a sprained ankle after the three point shootout on All-Star Saturday night and could not participate in the game. Interestingly enough, Silver did not pick the notable “snubs” of the initial announcement, including Pistons center Andre Drummond, Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, and Bulls forward Jimmy Butler, all whom the majority of fans believe are more worthy candidates than DeRozan.

Nonetheless, the decision was made and DeRozan did not disappoint, finishing with 9 points and 3 rebounds on 4 of 6 shooting in 14 minutes of play, and entertained the crowd with his high flying ability.

Last edited by Valor on Sun Jul 02, 2017 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

OverviewNothing has gone according to plan for the Chicago Sharks this season. All season long they have been trying to build a winning culture in the newly established franchise by competing for a playoff spot, but have constantly ran into an invisible door holding them at bay, and now that they have seemingly made the decision to give it up - by trading away the lockdown specialist veteran in Tony Allen - they have all of a sudden started climbing up the Eastern Conference Standings, which is still wide open outside of the top spot.

Indeed, the irony is not lost on the Sharks, who, while celebrating every impressive victory - such as the 13 point win over the Boston Celtics, or another sweet victory against their cross-town rival Bulls - groan collectively on the inside as their lottery odds slip little by little. At 23-37, the Sharks are still very unlikely to make the playoffs, even though teams as high as the 7th seed have sub .500 records in the East, but they might be in danger of losing out valuable odds at a top 5 pick if they don’t stop picking up these wins within the conference.

In a more positive note, however, it must be stated that these surprise victories have come as a result of standout performances from the previously fringe options on the roster, the players who are being given a chance now that management has decided to stop chasing a postseason berth. JaVale McGee is leading the team in both rebounds (15.8) and blocks (3.3) Per 36 minutes; R.J Hunter, acquired from the Celtics in November but never really got a chance at substantial minutes until now, put up a career high 18 points (7-9 FG) in a losing effort against the Hornets; and Shabazz Muhammed went off for 22 points and 5 rebounds in the win against Boston.

With all these players’ contracts expiring at the end of the season, it’ll be interesting to see just how enticing they’ll make themselves in Free Agency this offseason, and how much interest the Sharks will have bringing them back into the fold as they re-tool and build towards a championship.

Most Impressive Performance: 84-77 victory over the Chicago BullsWhat’s sweeter than beating a powerful Eastern Conference playoff contender in the Boston Celtics and holding one of the league’s leading scorers in Isaiah Thomas to just 15 points (5-19, 5 TO)? Holding your cross-town rivals to under 80 points and knocking them down from the 2nd seed spot in the conference at the same time. Ty Lawson really showed up for this one, as he shook off his struggles for perhaps the best game of his Sharks’ career, putting up a game high 19 points (7-11 FG) along with 5 assists and 4 steals (1 TO) in the victory. Bulls All-Star Dwyane Wade was held to just 6 points (3-8 FG) in 34 minutes while All-Star snub Jimmy Butler ended the night as the Bulls leading scorer with a mere total of 11 points (5-15 FG).

A Game To Forget: 83-115 defeat to Philadelphia You know you’re in trouble when Sergio Rodriguez puts up 19 and 7 against you. The Sharks had no answer for the lowly Sixers on this night, being down by as many as 35 points at one point. Jahlil Okafor made all 10 of his field goals and ended with a game high 22 points while Rookie of the Year favourite Ben Simmons stuffed the stat sheet on Chicago with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals.

Yes Cleveland, Boban just dunked on your whole teamGet that weak stuff outta here!Gerald Green be like "how the heck did I not get invited to the Dunk Contest?"

Usually in this segment every month we will evaluate and rank the top 10 players in contention for the regular season MVP award, but since February marks the passing of the halfway mark of the 2016-17 NBA season, here’s a look at the best of the first half of the season. Nobody will get anything from this, but hey, this is fun, so we’ll do it.

Most Valuable Player: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City ThunderIn what is looking like to be one of the most tightly contested MVP races in recent years, the triple double machine Russell Westbrook wins out in our midseason awards. Westbrook notched 4 more triple doubles in the 11 games played in February, bringing his season total up to a league leading 18. Additionally, the team’s record of 37-22 propels his team up to the 4th seed in the Western Conference. Considering the Thunder ended the year 2016 barely above .500, this is nothing short of amazing and it’s all due to the efforts of Westbrook. If this isn’t worthy of being named Most Valuable, then I don’t know what does. I have Curry second, LeBron third, James Harden fourth, and Blake Griffin fifth.

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ersNo surprises here, Simmons leads all rookies in rebounding (8.7) despite being a small forward (and sharing the court with fellow rookie standouts Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, who are bigs), is 4th in assists (4.8), 7th in scoring (12.5), and 2nd in steals (1.8), all the while shooting a healthy 44% from the floor. Barring any injuries or sudden drop-off (ie the infamous rookie wall), Simmons looks to be a lock for an unanimous Rookie of the Year result at the end of the season.

Coach of the Year: Mike D’Antoni, Houston RocketsOf course, the obvious choice here would be Steve Kerr, as the Golden State Warriors are by far the best team in the league at the moment, but the Coach of the Year award more often comes with the most surprising team, and in this case, it’s the mad scientist himself - Mike D’Antoni - who has transformed what was a .500 team of last year to be a top three team in the Western Conference and looking like a legit title contender. People questioned the decision when it happened, but moving James Harden to Point Guard looks like an absolute stroke of genius right now.

Defensive Player of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles ClippersSure, Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green are probably the better overall defenders, but this season - so far at least - has been the year of DeAndre Jordan on the defensive end, leading the league in both rebounds (15.1) and blocks (3.2) at a rate that hasn’t been seen since Ben Wallace (15.4 rpg, 3.2 bpg) won the award in 2003. Even Dwight Howard during his three-peat of the award did not put up numbers of this magnitude.

Most Improved Player: Jeremy Lin, Brooklyn NetsWhen talking about Jeremy Lin, people more often than not point to Linsanity - the period in 2012 where Lin made his mark on the NBA - as being the high point of his career. However, when examining the actual numbers, Lin’s production this season has trumped all of his previous years, even the Linsanity period, as he is averaging career highs across the board with 16.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks over 60 games played for the Brooklyn Nets this season. The Nets are horrible, but Lin is definitely the lone bright spark for the club as they attempt to rebuild from the ground up. Other contestants of the award include Steven Adams (OKC) and D'Angelo Russell (LAL).

Sixth Man of the Year: Manu Ginobili, San Antonio SpursThe fountain of youth is real. Almost 9 years after Ginobili had last won this award, he is looking like the favorite to do so again, as the 39 year old, 15th year veteran guard is putting up his best numbers since 2011 (13.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.5 apg), and is even averaging a career high in steals (2.0) for the San Antonio Spurs, which is enough to closely edge out Deron Williams of the Seattle Sonics (16.8 ppg, 4.5 apg) in my book.

Lamrock wrote:Gerald Green looks like he's ten feet tall in that one pic. Been saying this for months, but it might be time to unleash the tank and embrace the process!

It really is insane how he didn't get picked for the Dunk Contest, I've been putting up some spectacular dunks with him over the whole season...and yeah, tank is on man, I've been trying to play all my players and go 12, sometimes 13 deep rotation, just seeing what everyone has to offer and how they fit into the team...somehow winning more than I want to though

Sharks Smash Bulls to win Chicago season series 3-1The entire Bulls defense could merely look on as Green flies high for another jam

They probably won’t make the playoffs, but for whatever its worth, the Sharks have taken over Chicago in their inaugural season.

Gerald Green led all scorers with 17 points, Thabo Sefolosha had 14, and Boban Marjanovic added 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks as the Sharks beat the Bulls 101-74 at the United Center on Saturday night.

The Sharks secure the crosstown series by beating the Bulls for the third time in four meetings this season, taking home the bragging rights in what is known as the Windy City Derby in the expansion franchise’s first season in the league.

Sefolosha hit 6 of 7 shots from the field, former Bull Taj Gibson went 4 for 6, and newly acquired point guard Joseph Young hit all 4 of his field goals as the offensively challenged Sharks were firing on all cylinders in this one, shooting a blistering 59% from the field in the first half before finishing the game with a 54% field goal percentage - all the while holding the Bulls to just 33 first half points and 39% shooting for the game.

“This was probably as good as it has been this season,” said Sharks coach David Blatt, “Guys were hitting their shots and playing terrific defense. They earned this one.”

The Bulls were led by Jimmy Butler and Robin Lopez, who had 14 points apiece, Dwyane Wade was held to just 13 points while starting point guard Rajon Rondo finished with 6 points, 7 assists and 4 turnovers.

But perhaps more importantly, the Bulls were outmatched in every aspect on hustle plays. They were outrebounded 48-37, and seemingly gave up on 50-50 balls that gave the Sharks plenty of opportunities. Bobby Portis ended the game with the second most rebounds for the Bulls (7), but that total was matched by Sharks reserve guard R.J. Hunter, who despite going scoreless (0-5 FG) in 19 minutes of play, somehow ended up with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

“My job is not just being a shooter or whatever, it’s doing whatever the team needs me to do” said Hunter, “My shot wasn’t falling today but that just means I should spend my energy hitting the glass and playing defense, that’s all.”

This win is also the second win over the Bulls this week - they had defeated them on Tuesday night, 84-77 - and the third consecutive win for the team, which matches the longest win streak achieved so far this season, and takes them to a record of 25-37. They will look to set a new record at 4 straight wins in Brooklyn on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Bulls now drop to 32-29 and drops out of the top 4 seeds in the Eastern Conference altogether, they will look to put an end to their three game losing streak in Boston on Monday evening.

JaVale McGee scored 11 points and grabbed 23 rebounds -- a Chicago Sharks franchise record -- in the Sharks’ 79-87 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

McGee eclipsed Boban Marjanovic’s single-game franchise record of 21 (Set in November), as well as his own previous career high of 19 from just the previous night in Detroit - where he helped the Sharks go on a 29-6 run in the fourth quarter to beat the Pistons 85-76 after being down by as many as 13 points.

McGee, a mid-season signing, has been impressive in limited opportunities so far this season behind starting center Boban Marjanovic and backup Roy Hibbert, but a recent down run of form for Hibbert and injury to Marjanovic has made him the current starting center for the past few games.

“He’s really stepped in and impressed us,” said David Blatt, “His energy is tremendous and infectious for the team.”

While Boban is set to return to health soon, expect McGee to receive more minutes going forward.

Green scores Franchise Record 40 points as Sharks down MavsGreen was unstoppable in the fourth quarter

Another hotly contested game, another remarkable performance from Gerald Green.

Green scored 19 of his game high 40 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Chicago Sharks to a 105-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Green’s 40 points breaks his own Chicago Sharks franchise record for most points scored in a single game, which was previously 31 points. However, it is interesting to note that Green was also one point shy of his own career high (41).

“Had a few missed free throws, it happens.” said Green, “More than anything I’m just glad that we came away with the W.”

Green, who went 12-26 from the field in 31 minutes, was aided by the contributions of Joseph Young, who started at point guard today following some impressive performances from off the bench since his acquisition from the Indiana Pacers at the trade deadline. Young did not disappoint in his first start, as he finished with a very solid 12 points, 10 assists, and 4 steals in 25 minutes of play.

The Mavs were led by Harrison Barnes, who had 20 points on 9-18 shooting from the field, as well as Devin Harris’ 14 points and 3 steals; but Dirk Nowitzki did not have his best outing, as he shot just 5 of 16 and finished with 13 points, having been harassed by Taj Gibson of the Sharks all night long.

The difference in the game though, ultimately, was the scoring burst of Gerald Green.

“He was incredible, absolutely caught fire and hit everything down the stretch there” said Rick Carlisle “When an opponent goes off like that there really isn’t much you can do about it, unfortunately for us.”

With this win, the Sharks are now 29-42 on the season, while the Mavericks drop to 32-39.

Your scoring spread is pretty good already, but hopefully you can add a dominant scorer to your team over the off-season to take the team to the next level.

Two absolute beasts in the middle, 9/10 I dominate the paint Yeah just need somebody to consistently create their own shot, a legit star would be great to have. Some consistency at PG (Patty out for most of the season really hurt) wouldn't be bad.

Looking to update soon Just need to find time to write that March recap!

OverviewMonth after month, the Chicago Sharks have fought valiantly and fought against the odds in every game they’ve played in in the hopes of nabbing a playoff spot in their inaugural season.

Month after month, they have come up short of even a winning record to end the month…until now.

Buoyed by the explosive offense of Gerald Green and a pleasantly surprising stretch of rebounding dominance from JaVale McGee, the Chicago Sharks have finally done it. No, they haven’t reached the playoffs, nor are they even close as they sit in the 13th spot in the weak Eastern Conference; but they have ended the month with a winning record of 9-7.

“I understand that there’s considerations for next season in terms of getting better odds in the lottery, but I am very happy for the lads” said head coach David Blatt, “They have competed hard throughout the season and should be very proud of themselves. These are the kind of things that sets the franchise up for future successes as well.”

It wasn’t all chumps that they managed to defeat either, as the Sharks managed to take victories away from teams that were still in the mix for the final playoff spots, including the now playoff bound Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics (twice, no less), 4th seed Chicago Bulls (3-1 season series win), as well as the Charlotte Hornets who are still on the outside looking in with a puncher’s chance of getting in the postseason.

This is unlikely to repeat in the final 6 games of the season, however, as the team have announced they will be resting key players with nagging injuries, as well as give retiring journeyman Metta World Peace aka Ron Artest a proper send off from the NBA by allowing him to start and play the final few games. In other words, the tank is on.

Most Impressive Performance: 94-79 win over the Boston CelticsBlowing out the crosstown rival Bulls is always great, but nothing this month tops the surprising back-to-back victories over the Eastern Conference contenders Boston Celtics, and it all started in the first quarter when Gerald Green scored the game’s first 11 straight points en-route to his game high 21 and a 15 point victory at Chicago Stadium.

A Game To Forget: 109-115 defeat to the Denver NuggetsThe Denver Nuggets are literally the second worst team in the league with a record of 28-49, letting such a team put up 115 points on you was inexcusable for a defensive minded squad

Get that weak stuff outta here!Right between the eyes! R.J. Hunter beats the first half buzzer with a deep treyYi's buzzer beater to end the first helped set the tone for our upset victory in Boston

Last edited by Valor on Mon Sep 11, 2017 3:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

As the end of the regular season approaches, we have now entered the most intense two week period of every regular season. This is where playoff contenders duke it out for the final few spots available in the postseason, and this is also the crucial period where MVP candidates push on and make their final cases for the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

In a race as tight as the one this season, frontrunners Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LeBron James, and Steph Curry will need every performance to count if they wish to impress voters enough for them to be awarded the most prestigious individual award the game has to offer.

Without further ado, let the last Race to the MVP ladder of the season commence.

1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (50-25)Stats: PPG -- 26.5; RPG -- 9.5; APG -- 10.1; SPG -- 3.4; BPG -- 0.7; FG% -- .469; 3P% -- .330; FT% -- .809Last Month's Rank: 1Comment: Westbrook will enter the final two weeks of the season as the current favourite to win league MVP honours, and it’s easy to see why. The man has moved closer and closer towards that prestigious accomplishment of averaging a triple double for the season (while also notching a career high of 23 total triple doubles in a season), and it hasn’t been just empty stats that he’s been putting up either. The Thunder have now clinched a playoff spot with a record of 50-25, and are sitting pretty in 2nd place in the Western Conference Standings. Led by Westbrook, they went 13-3 with a staggering average of 110 points per game in the month of March. Now that’s an example of a player being the engine that drives the whole team.

2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (56-20)Stats: PPG -- 22.7; RPG -- 8.8; APG -- 8.6; SPG -- 2.3; BPG -- 1.3; FG% -- .481; 3P% -- .326; FT% -- .749Last Month's Rank: 3Comment: Yes, he’s had better seasons statistically, particularly on offense. Yes, the Cavs’ record, while dominating the East, doesn’t compare to Western Conference teams. These are all valid points, but one has to look past those and recognise that LeBron James is truly worth of being in the contention for MVP honours. After a month of February where his shooting dipped to an alarming 43.4%, James has sprung back with a very respectable 49.1%, and even raised his three point percentage to 33.9% - the second best month shooting this season. But these are all beside the point, as he has been more focused on distributing the ball and his biggest contribution have actually been on the defensive end. With James leading the charge defensively, Cleveland only allowed 99.1 points per game in the month of March on just 41.4% shooting from their opponents. On the season they have the 4th best defensive rating in the league alongside the best offensive rating (yes, better than the Warriors!) and it is a big reason why they have already clinched the conference with plenty of time to remaining before the postseason.

3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (60-16)Stats: PPG -- 28.8; RPG -- 6.1; APG -- 6.8; SPG -- 2.2; BPG -- 0.2; FG% -- .497; 3P% -- .452; FT% -- .913Last Month's Rank: 2 Comment: Due to having Kevin Durant on the team, the two time reigning MVP will most likely miss out on receiving the honour for the third straight time, but it’s no knock on his performances, as the Warriors have long clinched the Western Conference and Curry will most likely walk away with his first scoring title by season’s end, as there is a staggering 1.7 ppg difference between him and second place James Harden right now.

4. James Harden, Houston Rockets (46-29)Stats: PPG -- 27.1; RPG -- 6.7; APG -- 6.4; SPG -- 1.9; BPG -- 0.9; FG% -- .468; 3P% -- .431; FT% -- .859Last Month's Rank: 4 Comment: At first glance, Harden’s numbers may have looked better last season, but upon closer examination on efficiency vs productivity, we can safely conclude that the Bearded one is definitely enjoying his best season in his 8 year career so far. Teaming up with the famous offensive genius Mike D’Antoni and being moved to point guard, Harden has enjoyed the most efficient season yet, shooting over 43% from deep (he has never shot over 39% before this season), just under 47% from the field (second best in career), and still averaging a league second best 27.1 ppg, Harden has thrived in D’Antoni’s uptempo system and it’s no question who runs the show for the playoff bound Rockets.

5. Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers (49-27)Stats: PPG -- 23.8; RPG -- 3.9; APG -- 8.2; SPG -- 1.6; BPG -- 0.3; FG% -- .452; 3P% -- .416; FT% -- .892Last Month's Rank: 9 Comment: A 14-4 month has not only propelled the Blazers from 6th to 3rd in the Western Conference standings and clinch them a playoff spot early, but it has also moved Lillard up the rankings from his previous spot at 9th to 5th. Alongside his fellow sharpshooting partner in the backcourt C.J. McCollum, Lillard and the Blazers look ready to make some noise in the postseason.

6. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors (60-16)Stats: PPG -- 23.7; RPG -- 7.7; APG -- 4.7; SPG -- 1.4; BPG -- 1.7; FG% -- .516; 3P% -- .444; FT% -- .894Last Month's Rank: 10 Comment: Durant’s numbers are a far cry from his OKC self, and his presence on a stacked team that features Steph Curry also hurts his case for MVP (and vice versa), but Durant’s incredibly efficient contributions to the title favourite Warriors cannot be ignored, as he is easily having his most efficient season scoring the basketball with career highs in both field goal (51.6%) and three pointers (44.4%). As the month of March has shown, Durant is still perfectly capable of having months where he is putting up massive offensive numbers (26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds), only now he’s doing it on 55% from the field and 49% from three. Incredible.

7. DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers (49-28)Stats: PPG -- 14.7; RPG -- 14.8; APG -- 0.5; SPG -- 0.1; BPG -- 3.1; FG% -- .513; 3P% -- .472; FT% -- .914Last Month’s Rank: 5Comment: He is still the favourite for defensive player of the year honours, but DeAndre’s production has been slipping in all facets in the past month, as he only put up 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game through the 15 games in March, with the only positive uptake in production coming from his free throw performances, going up from an abysmal 30% in February to a less terrible rate of 44.1% this month. If he doesn’t pick it up in the final few games, Anthony Davis might just snatch the defensive honours away, and while we are at it, Andre Drummond is closing in on the rebounding title too, which we thought was all but clinched by DJ.

8. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers (56-20)Stats: PPG -- 24.9; RPG -- 3.4; APG -- 7.1; SPG -- 1.7; BPG -- 0.8; FG% -- .486; 3P% -- .428; FT% -- .922Last Month's Rank: 6Comment: For the first time this season, Irving’s scoring has dropped below 20 ppg (19.9) and this has been reflected in his drop down our Race to the MVP ladder; and let’s face it, there is just no way Irving could win regular season MVP honours while a certain monster by the name of LeBron James is on his team. Nonetheless, Kyrie is definitely having a career year and might just take home Finals MVP honours if he picks up his play for the defending champs in their bid to go back-to-back this postseason.

9. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (46-30)Stats: PPG -- 21.9; RPG -- 6.8; APG -- 3.3; SPG -- 2.6; BPG -- 1.0; FG% -- .500; 3P% -- .467; FT% -- .911Last Month’s Rank: 7Comment: Rule number one when judging a Spurs player is always, don’t look at their stats, as Popovich is known to rest his stars and is rarely concerned with regular season success anyways as long as they make the playoffs. But the Spurs are really slipping this past month, ending the month with a 10-6 record and finding themselves dropping to 6th in the West. However, they have still clinched a playoff spot and that’s all that matters for Pop. Plus, Kawhi averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block on 50% shooting from both the field and from deep this month playing significantly less minutes than every other MVP candidate on this list. In other words, he’s still Kawhi Leonard.

10. Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons (43-34)Stats: PPG -- 19.0; RPG -- 14.4; APG -- 0.5; SPG -- 0.7; BPG -- 1.5; FG% -- .558; 3P% -- .800; FT% -- .385Last Month's Rank: N/AComment: No, your eyes do not deceive you. Andre Drummond is indeed shooting 80% from three this season. Granted, it is just 4 of 5 attempts, but it is impressive nonetheless. Now if he could improve on that dreadful 38.5% from the foul line he’d be a legit MVP contender for sure, as he is quietly pushing DeAndre Jordan for the rebounding title, while putting up a career high 19 points per game and leading the Pistons to the second best record in the (granted, it’s weak) Eastern Conference, and a clinched playoff berth entering the month of April.

Lamrock wrote:Hopefully your decision not to tank pays off. Gerald Green and JaVale McGee are certainly all-star caliber players in 2K, if you play enough games that is.

Dw, tank is on for the last 6 games cause I'm sitting my starters and playing Ron Artest Would love to get at least one legit star in the offseason but yeah, Green and McGee are beasts in 2K and can probably help squeeze me into the playoffs next season if things go right.

MWP drops 26 in final game as Sharks close inaugural season with victoryWorld Peace turned back the clock with this two hand jam after picking Simmons’ pocket

On the last day of the 2015-16 regular season, Kobe Bryant stunned the basketball world by putting up an incredible 60 point performance in his farewell game.

It wasn’t quite as dramatic as Kobe, but Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, did his best to match the efforts of his former teammate in his own farewell.

Back in the city that first drafted him into the league in 1999 (16th pick by Bulls), the 37 year old put on a show for the home fans, putting up a season high 26 points along with 11 rebounds in 34 minutes of play to lead the Chicago Sharks to a 96-89 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers.

World Peace has not scored more than 25 points in a NBA game for over 5 years, with the last instance being a 26 point performance over the Spurs back in April 2012. He also has not scored more than 20 points since March 2013.

Much like the Lakers with Kobe last year, it was clear from tip off that the Sharks were making a concerted effort to get World Peace the ball and let him play freely. World Peace was just 3 of 11 from the field at the end of the first, but finished the quarter by grabbing an offensive rebound and putting it back in just as time expired in a play that was reminisce of his game winner against the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals in 2010, when his Lakers went on to win his first and only NBA championship.

The buzzer beater seemed to have rejuvenated World Peace, as he settled down after that and hit on 6 of his last 12 shots, including a pull up three pointer from the right wing after blocking a Lance Stephenson layup attempt, and even pulled off a two handed jam following a steal from Ben Simmons when he picked him up full court in the fourth quarter.

World Peace’s offensive explosion was not the only thing that was on display, as the former defensive player of the year turned back the clock and gave extra effort on defense, from defending Rookie of the Year favourite Ben Simmons and Robert Covington full court, to wrestling with Dario Saric and even Joel Embiid in the paint, the 37 year old veteran did it all, notching 2 steals and 2 blocks along with a bunch of great defensive possessions in the contest, and made the night a miserable one for Simmons in particular, who finished the game with just 8 points on 4 of 17 shooting from the field.

By the time Sharks head coach David Blatt took World Peace out with 42.6 seconds remaining, the often erratic, but passionate veteran forward was running on empty. However, perhaps rejuvenated by the standing ovation by the sell-out crowd in Chicago Stadium, he found a last bit of energy to walk to every corner of the court to thank the fans before checking out for the last time in his 17 year NBA career.

“This was a special night, definitely special.” said World Peace, “I definitely thought about what Kobe did last year, I mean, he’s the Black Mamba, so it’s kinda hard to do what he did, you know? But I tried my best to put on a show and the fans were great, they are why we do what we do and I am very honoured.”

World Peace also thanked David Blatt, his teammates, his family, the Sharks coaching staff, the equipment manager, the water boys, and of course, his therapist. It is way too long so we will not be including that here, but you get the picture. (and if you want to see it, just look it up on YouTube!)

The Sharks as a whole played fairly well. JaVale McGee continued his string of impressive performances with 9 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks; Yi Jianlian hit 7 of 12 shots for 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals; while Patrick Mills continues to regain his rhythm after missing most of the season through injury with 10 points and 5 assists in limited minutes.

All in all, it was a great night for the Sharks, who have pretty much successfully tanked the month of April (1-5 including this win) and find themselves with fairly good odds to get a top 5 pick in the lottery.

Lamrock wrote:Now that he can stretch the floor, Andre Drummond would be a great addition!

If only i didn't already have 3 starting caliber Cs to choose from

Phil89 wrote:Looks like you're going to finish with a respectable win total for an expansion franchise and still get a top 10 pick

Yeah, it wasn't a bad run at all. Though we still lose out to the Sonics in terms of performance by an expansion franchise. They are still in the playoff hunt!

Full season recap coming soon...as soon as I can get some real life obligations out of the way! I do plan on doing at least one more season and see where I can take this one (despite 18 being out) so stay tuned!

New York -- He came up short from being just the second player to ever average a triple double for an entire season, but Westbrook's efforts were nonetheless rewarded by being named the 2016/17 NBA Most Valuable Player.

Outside of leading the NBA in triple doubles (26), assists (10.3), and steals (3.4), Westbrook was also 3rd in scoring (27.1) and had the second highest PER (28.3) in the league this season. He led the Thunder to the second seed in the Western Conference with a record of 55-27, the same record as their previous season despite the team losing former MVP Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors in the offseason.

Stephen Curry and James Harden came second and third, respectively, in the final tally.

New York -- DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers has been named the 16-17 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Appearing in all 82 games for the 51 win Clippers, Jordan averaged career highs across the board, and led the league in both rebounds (14.9) and blocks (3.1) as he anchored the Clippers interior when injuries forced Blake Griffin to be sidelined at the beginning of the season.

Jordan received 86 of 130 first place votes, and edges out Kawhi Leonard (43 first place votes) and LeBron James (1 first place vote) for the honor.

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Gordon Hayward Named NBA's Most Improved PlayerBy Official release

New York -- Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward has won the NBA's Most Improved Player of the Year award.

Hayward 535 of a possible 580 points, including 92 first place vote, from a panel of 116 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. He edges out Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (16.2 ppg, 7.0 apg, 1.9 spg) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (13.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg), who finished second and third, respectively.

Playing in his 7th season in the NBA, the Butler product finished with career highs across the board for the Utah Jazz, and holds a player option entering the offseason.

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Deron Williams Wins Sixth Man Of The Year AwardBy Official release

New York -- Deron Williams has won the NBA's 6th Man of the Year Award.

Coming off the bench for the Seattle SuperSonics, who re-entered the league this season as a new expansion franchise, the veteran guard has somewhat revitalized his career after several injury-plagued seasons where he largely underperformed. Williams led the Sonics in scoring (17.4 ppg) and helped lead the team to the brink of the postseason, as Seattle narrowly missed out on the final 8th spot in the Western Conference to the Los Angeles Lakers by just one game.

Williams had 341 points (51 first place votes), beating out Manu Ginobili, who had 288 points (33 first place votes). Marcus Smart finished third with 182 points.

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Ben Simmons Wins Rookie of the YearBy Official release

New York -- Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers has won the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, beating out teammate Dario Saric and Laker forward Brandon Ingram.

Coming out of Australia via LSU, Simmons was the top overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft, and was named in the All-Las Vegas Summer League First Team. He led all rookies in rebounds (8.4), was second in steals (1.8), third in assists (4.9) and finished 5th in scoring (12.6) after appearing in all 82 games for the Sixers. Simmons also appeared in the Rising Stars Challenge at All Star Weekend, finishing with 17 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds for the victorious Elites team.

Simmons received 64 first place votes, 30 second place votes and four third place votes for 414 total points.

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Steve Kerr Wins NBA Coach of the YearBy Official release

New York -- Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been named the 16-17 NBA Coach of the Year.

With Kerr at the helm and having added Kevin Durant in free agency, the Warriors steamrolled the competition this season, finishing with a record of 64-18 and comfortably secured home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by the end of March.

Kerr has now won the award for the second straight season, having broke the NBA's regular season wins record with a mark of 73-9 last season.